What is the future for MG?

[Ncdan]

I’m not sure what direction the future of our beloved two wheel machines will go in the NEAR future. However I’m fairly sure there will be changes coming. I also believe that it’s inevitable that E bikes will be the future.
Trying to stay within the bounds of the original topic, our beloved moto Guzzi will be in this future and probably will also at some point produce an E bike. My rational thinking tells me that there will be a gradual change over 2-3 decades of fuel/electric Evolution. I do not believe, in most of our lifetimes, we will be forced to give up our beloved IC powered machines but I do believe in our lifetime we will have the option to do so if desired.
As far as the MG line discussion goes, I stand on my belief that MG is going to have to offer a line of bike to replace the big blocks they have dropped. Maybe not another 1400 or bigger but at least a 1100-1200 powered motor. I also stand firm that I believe past new MG buyers will not participate in future new MG ownership if this does not happen.
This is just an opinion from someone who has only ridden these bikes for 15 years and only owned three of the motors, 1100 hydro, 1100 solid lifter, and the 1400, therefore not near the experience of most of you guys. Therefore a little Lea way would be appreciated 😂👍

[OldMojo]

Yes, bleak.

I was at a local event for the 100th Anniversary a couple of weekends ago (thanks Mario, good fun).

There were 100-ish bikes there. One V85 and a V7, I think. And a single. Every other bike was a big block. And very few riders looked under 50, if any.

You know what they say about languages when there are no longer any native speakers under about 5 years old? Yeah...we're some way past that stage...

Well, someone is buying all those V7s and V85s. Where are they congregating, if at all?

[Dimitri_Harkov]

I have never seen a big block in person in my life.
Neither in the wild, nor on the showroom floor (!).

At least no 'modern' ones, that is (2010+).

But that could have geographical reasons too.
Not much point having a 'straight line cruiser' over here unless you want to have one just to have one ;)

All Guzzis I see are V7s, V9s, V85TTs - with some vintage 70s and maybe early 80s now and then.

And back to topic:
I'm pretty sure Guzzi engines will change a lot soon thanks to emissions.
We will see the water cooled engine very soon and I'm sure some sort of E-Guzzi will be a possibility too.

Cheers,
D.

[bad Chad]

Thanks for the observation Dimitri. This board is majority populated by North Americans, and as such they sometimes forget that the rest of the world isn’t exactly the same. 

[Ncdan]

Thanks for the observation Dimitri. This board is majority populated by North Americans, and as such they sometimes forget that the rest of the world isn’t exactly the same.

Good point and something we should consider with others responses if they seem a little strange as it may be just to us in the US👍

[Bulldog9]

Thanks for the observation Dimitri. This board is majority populated by North Americans, and as such they sometimes forget that the rest of the world isn’t exactly the same.

That's one of the things I love about international forums, it helps everyone to have a broader perspective. I'm always intrigued especially on Facebook to see strong Guzzi followings in Thailand and Japan.

But let's be honest, everyone interacts from their personal perspective, and interacts based on their market.

[JC85]

I just sincerely hope they bring back the California line or develop some other cruiser. Taking it back to 1100 would be fine with me. I'm a little guy, so that's plenty of power, imo. If they don't, I may just stick with the two I have and keep them well maintained, but never buy another Guzzi.

[Ncdan]

I just sincerely hope they bring back the California line or develop some other cruiser. Taking it back to 1100 would be fine with me. I'm a little guy, so that's plenty of power, imo. If they don't, I may just stick with the two I have and keep them well maintained, but never buy another Guzzi.

I think there are more folks think this way than the brain trust of Piaggio may realize.

[bad Chad]

Bulldog, all posters need to do I slow down for a moment and remember this is a world wide media, it just takes a little bit extra to not be self absorbed.

[bad Chad]

Gonna have to disagree with you on this one.

[Kremmen]

Maybe younger riders don't want to hang out with a bunch of old guys anyway.

Maybe the younger riders are riding V85s and V7s and not going to stupid "anniversary" celebrations they don't care about (yet).

Maybe those same younger riders will become older riders and go to the 125th or 150th anniversary celebrations because they will be old and boring then too?!?

Only partially tongue-in-cheek.

I saw a lot of younger riders at a recent Ducati event.

Look, it's diagnostic. We don't have to like it, but it is.         

[Kremmen]

Well, someone is buying all those V7s and V85s. Where are they congregating, if at all?

Sure. I used to see several on the road every month around here. We had one parking at work for a while. Just don't seem to see as many the last couple of years, though.

I get the impression these riders aren't being converted into *enthusiasts*. They move on.

100% subjective and I'm not doing as many events these days so possibly a false impression. I hope I'm wrong myself!

[LowRyter]

Locally, I've seen several of the new Guzzis rolling around.  The local shop here sells about 1 1/2 bikes a month.   A few times I've been able to talk to some of the riders.  I ask if they are on WG or would be interested in rallies, we have Cedar Vale and Okla Campout. 

I wonder if anyone of them have signed on?  Does WG have a few signups from Central OK in the last year?

Of course Don (local dealer) isn't on this board either and he's pretty e-savvy with his sales and service.  He displays Guzzis at couple bike shows.

Also, if you aren't on WG, chances are you won't hear about Cedar Vale.  So if Dusty wanted a little more out reach, he could make up an e-flyer.  We could print them out and post them at some bike shops.

[Kev m]

I saw a lot of younger riders at a recent Ducati event.

Look, it's diagnostic. We don't have to like it, but it is.         

I don't actually care one way or the other, though I kinda identify more with the group that doesn't really dig these events.

There were more at the Ducati event, great, so analyze the difference.

* What's different about the event - JUST BRAND or are there other differences?
* What's the difference between brands - not just product, but sales figures, especially in area of event.
* Any other factors we are forgetting?!?

I guess I'm saying it's way too easy to have observational bias in something like this and that we've got an N = 1 in this observation.

That's all.

[Ncdan]

I don't actually care one way or the other, though I kinda identify more with the group that doesn't really dig these events.

There were more at the Ducati event, great, so analyze the difference.

* What's different about the event - JUST BRAND or are there other differences?
* What's the difference between brands - not just product, but sales figures, especially in area of event.
* Any other factors we are forgetting?!?

I guess I'm saying it's way too easy to have observational bias in something like this and that we've got an N = 1 in this observation.

That's all.

Don’t you think maybe Ducati draws more of the younger crowd that MG does? Every time I go to the Dragons Tail I see several younger guys dressed in leathers, and I don’t mean the Brando style leather, on the Ducati but I’ve never seen anyone but older guys, like me, on a Moto Guzzi. In fact I’ve never seen a young person on a Guzzi of any style. Why might that be?

[Kev m]

Don’t you think maybe Ducati draws more of the younger crowd that MG does? Every time I go to the Dragons Tail I see several younger guys dressed in leathers, and I don’t mean the Brando style leather, on the Ducati but I’ve never seen anyone but older guys, like me, on a Moto Guzzi. In fact I’ve never seen a young person on a Guzzi of any style. Why might that be?

I'm saying I don't know but I wouldn't claim to know from just a couple of anecdotal observations.

BTW, I have seen more Guzzis in the wild, and mostly smallblocks ridden by people younger than me, than I've seen Ducatis.

But I'm not making a conclusion on either brand from it.

As I noted there are a lot more factors at play.

[Dirk_S]

Don’t you think maybe Ducati draws more of the younger crowd that MG does? Every time I go to the Dragons Tail I see several younger guys dressed in leathers, and I don’t mean the Brando style leather, on the Ducati but I’ve never seen anyone but older guys, like me, on a Moto Guzzi. In fact I’ve never seen a young person on a Guzzi of any style. Why might that be?

Join the various MG Facebook pages out there. Lots of folks who don’t fit the ‘older, white, American (or Aussie) dude’ demographic are buying Guzzis...

...and asking wonderfully cute questions like:

“Look at my bike, I just mod’ed it with a Givi rack”... and...

“Check out my bike, it’s now a scrambler because I put the MG-approved Arrow exhaust on”... and possibly the cutest of them all...

“Should I keep the Racer’s seat cowl on? TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”

Adorable.

[Joliet Jim]

Join the various MG Facebook pages out there. Lots of folks who don’t fit in the older, white, American (or Aussie) dude demographic are buying Guzzis...

...and asking wonderfully cute questions like:

“Look at my bike, I just mod’ed it with a Givi rack”... and...

“Check out my bike, it’s now a scrambler because I put the MG-approved Arrow exhaust on”... and possibly the cutest of them all...

“Should I keep the Racer’s seat cowl on? TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”

Adorable.

Now that made me smile

[bad Chad]

What's so funny?  Those are all legitimate questions!   Sometimes I spend a good half hour in front of a mirror, just getting ready to go for a ride.

[Bulldog9]

I see V7's in my area every day now, passed 2 just this afternoon. Most everyone I have met on a V7 was 30 or younger. Big blocks tend to be guys 40 and older.

Bumped into a guy a couple weeks ago who was considering moving from his V7 to a BMW 800 ADV. I told him about the V85, and pointed him towards XPS in MD, hope he went that way as he really likes his V7.

[Kremmen]

“Should I keep the Racer’s seat cowl on? TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”

Adorable.

 

Re the bit about the various factors at play: yes. That's exactly my point.

Ducati is a small make but has a decent range of attractive options for various kinds of riding. Guzzi has the smallblock in standard and adventure flavours. It isn't giving people anything to aspire to after that.

Other brands are bringing young riders in with machines that are attractive to them (Guzzi isn't failing at this) *and converting them into enthusiasts* (Guzzi *is* failing at this, or that's what it looks like to me, in my part of the world; YMMV). Maybe September will change that!

[Kev m]

Re the bit about the various factors at play: yes. That's exactly my point.

Ducati is a small make but has a decent range of attractive options for various kinds of riding. Guzzi has the smallblock in standard and adventure flavours. It isn't giving people anything to aspire to after that.

Other brands are bringing young riders in with machines that are attractive to them (Guzzi isn't failing at this) *and converting them into enthusiasts* (Guzzi *is* failing at this, or that's what it looks like to me, in my part of the world; YMMV). Maybe September will change that!

Small? Define small?

Annual production approximately up to 10 TIMES what Guzzi produces (50k+ annually vs ~5k plus annually).

As for not giving something to "aspire to" that's a pretty decent development, and one I'm not yet convinced is permanent. But time will tell.

Your last conclusion is spurious at best and takes more than a few logical leaps without evidence. I'll counter with words like Vespa or Royal Enfield.

[Kremmen]

Yes, Ducati is small. Yamaha makes hundreds of thousands of bikes a year in India alone. Guzzi is tiny, but is now behaving as if it's, I don't know, minuscule? As you say, a recent development but hardly a positive one.

I'll counter with words like "(or that's what it looks like to me, in my part of the world; YMMV). Maybe September will change that!". I did concede already that it's subjective!

[Kev m]

Yes, Ducati is small. Yamaha makes hundreds of thousands of bikes a year in India alone. Guzzi is tiny,

Ok semantics, but we're not comparing yamaha. I'm just pointing out how even you're subjective opinion is ignoring scale. If the I are 10 times more Ducatis sold over a 10 year period there's going to be significant difference in number of riders in any age group.

And yes you and I agree we'd like to see a larger bike in the lineup, but we disagree on it's necessity. I mean with nothing bigger than a 650, how does Royal Enfield sell 850,000 units a year?!? The problem with Guzzi (IF it actually is one), isn't the engine size.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Join the various MG Facebook pages out there. Lots of folks who don’t fit the ‘older, white, American (or Aussie) dude’ demographic are buying Guzzis...

...and asking wonderfully cute questions like:

“Look at my bike, I just mod’ed it with a Givi rack”... and...

“Check out my bike, it’s now a scrambler because I put the MG-approved Arrow exhaust on”... and possibly the cutest of them all...

“Should I keep the Racer’s seat cowl on? TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”

Adorable.

Same thing on reddit, lots of young folks on V7's

[Bulldog9]

Even though the v85 TT has been a huge sales success, I rarely see one in the wild. I do however see a V7 almost every time I venture out in my area which is the greater Washington DC Northern Virginia area. I live right off a scenic memorial parkway that attracts a lot of motorcycle traffic. I see at least one if not two V7's. In fact yesterday I saw two.

The encouraging thing for me, is that 90% of the V7 owners that I have encountered and had an opportunity to talk to we're all in their 20'-30s. None of this counts of course the old coots that I know in the area :-)

Contrast that with the fact that I've never seen a Griso a Norge, Breva, EV in the wild, but I have seen a handful of 1400s. I've also seen a few stelvios here and there and an occasional loop frame.

The Army moves me all around the U.S., and in the last 10 years I've lived in Tennessee, Washington state, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. I've also done a fair amount of traveling and rarely if ever see a Moto Guzzi.

So needless to say, I'm very excited and encouraged every time I see one on the road in my area on a daily basis.

I think Moto Guzzi is doing a great job with the small block and the variation in the new V7 or v9 of the 850 shows that they are interested in doing some development.

Even though I would love to see a larger motor closer to 1,000 cc's I think they could further refine and develop the 850 from the v85 TT and adapt it to a more sporting Street bike, and even a sport touring format. The problem of course, is that neither of these segments are selling well.

Right now the two hot segments in motorcycling are the classic standard and ADV style. And Moto Guzzi seems to be hitting all the marks in those two areas. I also think that the relative reliability and high quality of the V7 v9 and v85 are doing great things for the reputation of the mark.

[Murray]

I think there are more folks think this way than the brain trust of Piaggio may realize.

Quiet happy to see the back of the cruisers, I can't think of a type of bike that intrests me less.

[Ncdan]

Here’s something strange to me at this point. Some of you guys say you’re seeing lots of younger guys on the MG, v7 etc. I guess the part of the country and countries you are in determine that as well as dealership availability. As most of you know I live in central NC and in the years Ive been a Guzzi fan and owner I’ve only seen a couple MG bikes in the wild. However I have seen several Ducati bikes ridden by older and younger riders. I think the reason for this is due to little to no exposure to the brand. The first MG I ever saw was an El Dorado, probably an early 80s. It had fishtails and sounded great. The rider was a younger guy who said it was his dads bike. I feel in love with it then and it took 20 years later to get my first on, an 04 California EV, black and chrome. Now here’s my point. The magic that I felt over that first encounter, I don’t believe will exist with this new market of the brand. And yes our opinions on this is simply that “opinions” and this is mine.

[Kev m]

Absolutely regional differences, especially in the lack of a dealership are going to make huge differences, especially in the amount of younger riders who will be less likely to try a brand if there isn't local exposure and support.

A newer rider is much less likely to travel hundreds of miles for a bike. Absolutely.

[Vagrant]

Guzzi has always been a basically one-engine size company with maybe two slightly different body styles. They have never competed in multiple sizes like the major brands.
In the 1970's it was the 750 that got enlarged to the 850 but just Ambassador, Eldorado, then the T. They grew to the almost 1000 CC's with again maybe two styles. Now we're back down to the small block 750/850 with, that's right two basic styles.